I am an entrepreneur and communications expert from Salt Lake City, founder of Snapp Conner PR, and author of Beyond PR: Communicate Like A Champ The Digital Age, available at http://amzn.to/1AO0PxX. I am also a frequent author and speaker on Business Communication. The opinions I express (especially when tongue in cheek) are entirely my own. My newsletter is the Snappington Post, available at http://bit.ly/1iv67Wk

Can Dressing Well Increase Your Income in 2013?

We’ve all heard the phrase “Clothes Make the Man”. This expression was first recorded more than 400 years ago by Erasmus, a Catholic priest, theologian, and social critic, but many have repeated it since. From the writings of Shakespeare to Will Smith in Hitch, we’ve heard this proverb for years.

Can your wardrobe influence your income? The experts say "yes!"

A number of independent studies maintain that clothing can affect a first impression dramatically. Is it possible, then, to determine how someone is paid based on what they wear? For men, the answer is nearly always yes according to a 2011 salary report from Payscale. For women, the answer is more complex: According to some studies, dress doesn’t influence higher income for women as much as it helps to ensure security in their current roles. Forbes writer Laura Sinbergwarns that dressing ‘too sexy’ can make a woman seem less competent.

Regardless of your position on the data, in the spirit of the New Year I’ve invited six image consultants to share the advice they give clients on how to improve their salaries by improving their wardrobes. Each of them has helped clients make more money by wearing the optimal clothes.

For the past year, Sam has provided disadvantaged women with $10,000 apiece in work and personal clothes. He’s accomplished this by convincing fashion designers and PR handlers to reroute some of the “PR Swag” they customarily give to famous people to help people in need. Here are a few of their stories:

Mary Anne escaped an abusive relationship and found herself alone in Southern California with a child and no work skills. Then Sam surprised her on an NBC morning news show in San Diego with a wardrobe upgrade. She immediately landed a new part time job, started a company teaching etiquette to young kids and with her new swagger, landed a new boyfriend as well.

Shenee is a single mom of five in Long Island. She is now in school and juggles a full-time job. With dreams of becoming a lawyer, Shenee landed a job promotion recently and is saving for a car. She proudly wears her New Balance shoes at the bus stop, and now dresses like a leader at work.

Sierra, a young mom of four, found herself in a very abusive situation. She escaped, and with the guidance of a non-profit in downtown Baltimore, she is getting back on her feet. With dreams of becoming a singer, she was surprised and delighted with a $10,000 wardrobe upgrade and quickly landed a clerical job and has moved into her first apartment.

Whether advising young starlets such as Sophia Bush, Emmanuelle Vaugier, DJ Sandra Collins before their press appearances or helping established stars to “pop” at a special event, Sam Russell has proven that women can increase their incomes with clothing, while also proving that fashion can have a heart.

Sherrie expresses a bit of a contrarian view: “I think the theory of how well you dress being proportionate to your income is disproved in areas other than sophisticated cities such as NYC, London, Milan and Paris,” she says. “There, in pockets, beautiful attire is a language still spoken. I’ve observed men in the financial business in cities such as Phoenix, Las Vegas and LA who wore ill-fitting black suits with black shirts and silver ties or burgundy shirts with black ties, but they do extremely well.”

Perhaps their looks express a regional or personal vibe?

“They do well, I believe, because their clients don’t expect or don’t know themselves what the Madison Ave version of a properly dressed businessman would look like,” Sherrie says.

“All you need is observation to witness the fact that most men have no idea on how to dress well in a traditional business venue.”

“Men like Jamie Dimon dress fairly well, as does Sandy Weill–but when you look at Bill Gates and Warren Buffett you see two men who wear only what will get them by and get respect–conservative and boring—clothing is obviously not their focus.”

“Then there are Mark Zuckerberg and Steve Jobs who consider jeans and hoodies or turtlenecks fine. So does it really matter? In my opinion, less and less…Prince Charles stands alone!”

Hmmm…but I would still suspect grooming counts, as well as the ability to develop a personal sense of image or style. Here’s a contrasting view:

Sandy considers the art of “Old Money” power dressing to be the key to her clients’ success. Several of her clients were hired away by a more prestigious firm (the head of a small investment firm got hired away by a bigger one) and confirmed that it was due to image changes that they got big promotions. For example, an executive working for a big bank got hired away by another bank for the position of VP.

Another man was in sales and wanted to be promoted to corporate fund-raising. With Sandy’s image help, he got the promotion. Another client was hired away from the Senator he worked for by a major PR firm, and was so successful he ultimately started his own agency. (I will share this note with my husband, of course—“See, honey, the money I spend on clothes will pay off.”)

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$10k seems a bit steep for a new work wardrobe for the average person. I’m obsessed with designers, and even I could come up with something very nice for less than half that amount. But either way, it’s great those women were given that opportunity. I certainly take people more seriously when they know how to dress and spend enough money on their appearance (as shallow as that can sound).

Thanks for your note, Pulcher. I agree, $10K is more steep than perhaps pretty much anyone’s standard work wardrobe budget (although it would be fun to try…) I think the focus of Sam’s program is perhaps on the attention it draws for someone who would have otherwise never been able to meet such a need, at even a basic level. But you’re right, good taste and fashion can be achieved by the average executive for far less.

Dear Cheryl, thank you so much for the amazing article! And thank you for including my story as well!I am so blessed to know Sam Russell with The Giving Closet! I pray this will be a magical year for all of us!! Happy New Year!! Mary-Anne